​Marti Pellow to Headline 3-day Festival Line-up!

Newark Festival is back for it’s seventh year running, offering a fantastic line up with something for everyone. The established three-day festival at the Riverside Park, in view of Newark Castle, presents a fantastic Saturday night headlined by Marti Pellow and featuring Kim Wilde, Go West, Nick Heyward, Limahl and The Fizz on 16 June 2018.

Friday 15 June sees the return ofRiverside Rocks and if you love The Who, The Stone Roses, The Rolling Stones and Queen then you’re in for a treat! An electric evening of Rock, with some of the best tribute acts in the UK will kick off next year’s Festival weekend: Magic Queen, The Rollin’ Clones, The Ultimate Stone Roses, and Who’s Next are going to ensure it will be an incredible night!

Of course, Newark Festival wouldn’t be complete without the free Family Fun Day on Sunday 17 June, which for 2018 will return starrier than ever, with a line-up of family activities and entertainment throughout the day, followed by the popular ‘Swing in the Park’ evening concert and fireworks finale.

Promoter Liz Doogan-Hobbs MBE from LHG Live commented: “As our local event, Newark Festival holds a special place in our hearts, and we are absolutely thrilled to announce its return for the seventh year and what a line-up we have in store for the entire weekend right here in Newark! I am proud to be bringing Marti Pellow to the town whose unbelievable vocal talent and brilliant stage presence made Wet Wet Wet such an iconic band and having him here will be such a treat for us all. To be joined by Kim Wilde, Go West, Nick Hayward and Limahl as well as old Eurovision friends The Fizz, means Saturday is going to be one big party!”

“We think Friday night Riverside Rocks that kicks off The Festival, will be our best yet, presenting tributes to bands who have changed musical history and influenced countless generations. Friday night has been growing every year and I think in 2018 Friday will be a big night.”

“With Newark Town Council’s continued support, we are also able to offer a free day of family entertainment and fireworks on Sunday. Having invested together heavily over the last six years in the festival’s growth and with the more recent help of our sponsors and funding partners of course, the Festival is something that we are very proud of as a business operating in Newark.”

Several local businesses have now approached organisers interested in joining the Festival as Sponsors, who have seen the benefits other companies have experienced as a result of being involved promoting the event and offering staff tickets and other benefits.

Liz Doogan-Hobbs said, “We are grateful for local business support as it helps us to continue to develop and grow the festival year on year and maintain the high caliber of artists we are able to bring to Newark every summer. If you would like to learn more about working with us as a partner, then we would be happy to hear from you. This year we are thrilled to have Barcode Warehouse return as our headline sponsor for 2018, and to have the opportunity to partner again with Water’s Edge in the Premier Enclosure which means we can deliver an enhanced Festival. Every year we learn and grow and make more tweaks to enhance the visitor experience and this year’s feedback has been really positive to the changes we made. Look out for more next year too! Help us spread the word and be sure to bring your friends and family to the 2018 Newark Festival as there really is something for everyone, and it is always great fun!”

Keep an eye out for all the latest news and information on the festival, and you can also purchase tickets for this event at the Newark Town Christmas Lights Switch On, on November 26 at the Newark Festival Ticket Stand. With Christmas fast approaching, tickets to the 2018 Newark Festival are a perfect gift.

Marti Pellow said: “I am really looking forward to singing for you all at the 2018 Newark Festival in June. Newark is a great town – I travelled there as a boy and remember visiting the magic castle. My new show is a lot of fun with all the favourites and I’m really looking forward to returning to Newark. See you there.”

Councillor David Lloyd, Leader of Newark Town Council said: “I am delighted that the Newark Festival with LHG Live will be staged for a seventh year. This year’s new improved site layout and the fabulous weather made it the Festival the most successful to date and was greatly received by the Newark community. I am looking forward to the 2018 Festival being even better with an amazing line-up. The Newark Festival is the ‘anchor’ and highlight of the summer events programme for the town and enables us to attract visitors who, in turn, spend in our shops, bars, restaurants and overnight accommodation. Our town centre is outstanding and we want more and more people to come and discover Newark and contribute to our economy. I’m proud that we can continue to provide a free day of family fun on the Sunday of the Festival. These events are just as much for local people as they are for visitors and it’s especially important that we have family orientated events during the summer. I urge everyone to attend and enjoy the event across the weekend.”

Saturday 16 June proudly presents Marti Pellow as headline act along with Kim Wilde, Go West, Limahl, Nick Heyward and The Fizz in a true explosion of hits after hit – the perfect party atmosphere for the summer!

Marti Pellow is one of Britain’s iconic music stars. The BRIT and Ivor Novello award-winning singer-songwriter first came to the attention of the British public as the lead singer of Wet Wet Wet. As both a solo artist and with Wet Wet Wet, Marti has had consistent chart-topping multi-platinum albums; with over 25 chart hits and three of the UK’s biggest number-one singles, including Goodnight Girl and the iconic Love Is All Around - one of the most successful UK hits of all time. Marti’s career has so far seen a record for the longest Number One in UK chart history, one of the four biggest selling songs in the UK of all time, consistent chart topping multi-platinum album sales, the achievement of every major award in the British music industry, and the starring in huge hit musical theatre productions in London’s West End and on Broadway in New York. His solo orchestral concerts, intimate jazz residencies, acoustic theatre tours and large arena pop concerts have ensured his fan base continues to grow year on year as one of the most popular performers of his era. In 2017 Marti released his latest album Mysterious, which was followed by a sell-out 10-date tour.

Kim Wilde burst onto the music scene in 1981 with the classic Kids In America, a worldwide hit. This lead to a stunning career with over 30 million record sales spanning 12 albums and some of the most memorable hits of the 80s including, Chequered Love,Cambodia, You Keep Me Hangin’ On (Number 1 in the USA), You Came, Never Trust A Stranger and Four Letter Word. After a break from music to get married, have children and re-discover a love for gardening, Kim returned to the music scene in 2001 and has not looked back since, delivering hit after hit, embarking on a number of European tours, whilst performing regularly at festivals and special events. Kim also continues as popular as ever presenting her radio show on Magic FM.

Go West are Peter Cox and Richard Drummie, whose debut single We Close Our Eyes was released in the spring of 1985. It reached Number 5 in the UK charts and became a top 10 hit in the USA. This ‘overnight’ success was followed by three further UK top 10 hits – Call Me, Goodbye Girl and Don’t Look Down. The now iconic album Go West sold two million copies worldwide and remained on the UK chart for 83 weeks, establishing them as one of the finest song-writing partnerships to emerge in the 80s. Six albums and 20 million sales later, Go West are stronger than ever. They have enjoyed numerous chart singles worldwide, notably King Of Wishful Thinking, the opening song in the hugely successful film Pretty Woman. The film’s soundtrack has sold over 10 million copies. Go West continue to perform live and delight fans the world over. They have certainly earned their reputation as an outstanding, exciting live act.

Nick Heyward is a songwriter, guitarist and vocalist who achieved success with his former band Haircut 100 in the early 80s, with four UK Top 10 singles. Their debut album, Pelican West, reached Number 1 in the UK charts. Nick then went on to pursue his own music career as a solo artist, and in 1983 his debut album North of a Miracle reached Number 10 in the UK charts and included three UK Top 14 singles. To date Nick has released eight albums and 19 singles, six of which reaching the Top 40 in the UK. He continues to perform and delight his fans.

Limahl first found fame as the lead singer of Kajagoogoo, who stormed to the charts with Too Shy in the 80s, fast winning a huge fanbase; ‘Kaja Mania’ was born! The band enjoyed two more Top 20 hits, with Limahl going on to pursue his own interests and international success with his global hit Never Ending Story from the film of the same name. Limahl’s career also branched into music production, working with Kim Wilde, Peter Andre and Worlds Apart, amongst others. Since 2005 Limahl has made many TV appearances, including ‘I’m a Celebrity; Get Me Out of Here’ and ‘Pointless Celebrities’, released new material with Kajagoogoo – including tours in Germany and the UK, and has appeared at a number of festivals. He continues to be in demand as a performer, recently touring both Australia and Japan to great acclaim.

The Fizz, formerly known as Bucks Fizz, were catapulted to fame in 1981 after they won the Song for Europe and Eurovision Song Contest – an impressive feat given that just eight weeks earlier they had formed the band as complete strangers! With over 20 singles released over the next few years including three Number Ones, My Camera Never Lies, Land of Make Believe and of course, Making Your Mind Up, they amassed 15 million records, spending 219 weeks in the UK charts alone! The Fizz are fondly remembered for their harmonies, energetic dance routines, and of course the ‘skirt ripping off’ routine! After splitting for a few years to pursue their own interests the band reunited in 2008, and have been touring and appearing at festival, and 80s events ever since. Their brand-new album The F-Z of Pop released this year went straight to ‘Album of the Week’ on BBC Radio 2 and entered the Top 40 at 25.

Tickets for the Newark Festival, which takes place at Riverside Park, Newark from 15 June until 17 June 2018, will go on sale on Friday 25 November at 9.00am

Child ticket (under 16): £15.00

Saturday 16 June

a goody bag and an enhanced view of the stage in an exclusive reserved area. Places in the Premier Ticket

Enclosure are limited.

Golden Circle Adult: £45.00

Golden Circle Child (under 16): £35.00

General Admission Adult: £37.50

General Admission Four Ticket Offer: £130.00

General Admission Child (under 16): £27.50

Tickets are all standing

Chair Tickets

Chair tickets can be requested via www.newarkfestival.co.uk and in person from the Newark Town Hall. These are priced the same as the General Admission tickets, but allow you to bring one folding chair per person on to the festival site. These tickets are limited and will be in a designated area towards the rear of the site behind the standing audience

Accessible ticket information:

Accessible tickets can be purchased in-person from Newark Town Hall

If you consider that because of a disability you are unable to attend the concert alone, you may request a concession ticket for a Personal Assistant, providing you are entitled to the higher level of either disability living allowance, (DLA) or attendance allowance, (A/A), or the enhanced rate of personal independence payment, (PIP)

Accessible tickets are not available online, but may be purchased in-person from Newark Town Hall

Accessible tickets will be situated in a viewing area situated adjacent to the stage

Promoter – LHG Live, part of the well-known Liz Hobbs Group, is the UK’s leading producer of ‘music with sport’ events as well as one of the country’s premier producer and promoter of a range of outdoor and indoor music events. With over 20 years’ experience in its field, having reached the top 20 of the UK’s Fast Track 100, as well its CEO Liz Doogan-Hobbs MBE having won the ‘Nat West Everywoman of the Year’ as the UK’s leading female entrepreneur, the company continues to develop key partnerships in British sport and music alongside delivering a great variety of events and shows.